Dudes in Drag Shake Speedy Cocktails for Charity, Part 2

Rowdy event raises cash for breast cancer awareness

Walking into Tuesday night’s Tipsy Texan event felt a bit like roller derby running into a Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in the West Village with a stocked bar and a time clock.

The Swoop House was packed with bar industry veterans and cheering, bundled onlookers as eight of Austin’s best-known bartenders donned dresses and shook four cocktails in a speed competition to raise money for breast cancer
awareness. Speed Rack, a national, all-female speed bartending competition that raises money for the cause, co-hosted the event along
with the Tipsy Texan. Founder Ivy Mix thanked all the participants and guests for coming, and explained the rules of the friendly competition to see which state could raise the most money before this weekend’s San Antonio Cocktail Conference. Perhaps the most fun aspect of the evening was the introduction of the bartenders. These guys really dolled up for the evening and even came up with competition names: think Tallulah Tonsils and Rackie Onassis.

The Swoop House made for a lovely party venue and small bites from
2Dine4 Catering were devoured before the main event. In the end, the
party raised $700 for breast cancer awareness, and organizers say they
have great ideas about how to generate even larger numbers next year.
Competitors mixed four cocktails for time and each was judged on
taste: a Margarita, a Daiquiri, a Rob Roy, and a Slow and Low on the
rocks. Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” blared behind one bartender’s turn.
Cursing and hilarity filled the room. The final winner was Matt Ross
from La Condesa, aka Sofanda Cox.

The following Austin bartenders will be at the San Antonio Cocktail Conference Sunday, Jan. 20, competing in Speed Rack’s ladies
cocktail event: Amber Billiard (Drink.Well.), Rachel DelRocco
(Midnight Cowboy), Joyce Garrison (The W Hotel), Whitney Hobbs (La Condesa), Karen Kirchem (Austin City Limits at the Moody Theater), Madelyn Kay (Haddington’s), Lana Lindsley (Frank), Pamela Pritchard (The Tigress), Tacy Rowland (Drink.Well), and Jessica Sanders(co-owner, Drink.Well). We wish the best of luck to all our local ladies. Be sure to check the print edition of Thursday for more about the San Antonio conference soon.